4H - Nuclear power

Nuclear power stations use nuclear fission to generate the heat energy to produce electricity. Neutrons are fired at uranium nuclei causing them to break apart and release energy. This process is called a chain reaction and produces the heat that is used to turn water into steam and drive the turbine that connects to the generator to make electricity.

The main advantage of nuclear fuel is that it produces far more energy than coal, oil or gas. But there are a lot of misconceptions about nuclear power and many people mistrust it, primarily because of its history. The Chernobyl disaster is probably the main reason for this and we'll spend a bit of time looking at this and what caused it to happen.